


Revising Sexuality

by Asexual_Enjolras



Category: Sex Education (TV), Sex Education - Fandom
Genre: Acephobia, Asexual Character, Asexual Otis Milburn, Asexual Relationship, Asexuality, Asexuality Spectrum, Bullying, Canon Compliant, Coming Out, Coming of Age, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Fix-It, High School, Homophobia, Homosexuality, Internalized Acephobia, Multi, Outing, Post-Canon, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-17 12:25:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17560358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asexual_Enjolras/pseuds/Asexual_Enjolras
Summary: Following on from the last episode of 'Sex Education', Maeve attempts to get her place back at school. The sex clinic continues and Otis begins to question his sexuality after an encounter with a girl that comes to him believing that she may be asexual.New to the term, Otis googles the meaning and finds that he may be asexual himself.It's a lot to take in and he continues to research and explore the possibility that he may be on the ace spectrum. Meanwhile, Adam returns to school and tries to come to terms with his homosexual feelings for Eric. And must deal with the consequences after someone catches he and Eric kissing. And Maeve tries her best to keep her feelings for Otis on the down low.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So I wanted to follow on from the 'Sex Education' series because I'm impatient and can't wait for series two. 
> 
> And I also wanted to explore the idea of an asexual Otis Milburn. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

***

Maeve carried her feet below her. She felt sick. It was not a good feeling. To begin with she was afraid that, perhaps, she had fallen pregnant again and her heart had sank. But when she remembered the amount she had drank the previous night, she calmed herself down. Mr. Groff's proposition had left her concerned; he couldn't really throw her out of school, could he? She was alone in the world. And she had done nothing wrong. He had no evidence to suggest that it was her that brought those drugs into school.

It was ridiculous. 

And Maeve had decided, last night when drunk, that she would march bravely into the school with her head held high and ask what evidence he had on her. Nothing, she knew. He couldn't have. That would be impossible. Because it was not her. 

"Maeve." Aimee's soft voice called from the outside of her caravan. It startled her slightly as she walked towards the door. "Jesus, you look like dog shit." 

"I feel like it." Maeve mumbled. 

"I got your text. You can't really be doing this, Maeve. Mr. Groff is a bastard. He won't listen to you." 

Maeve's hand brushed through her hair. She sighed. 

"Look, it's worth a shot. I know it probably won't work but-" She turned to face Aimee. "I don't have another option, okay?" 

Aimee nodded with a confused expression. 

"Okay." 

She really felt bad for Maeve. She could see that this was really affecting her character. It was heartbreaking. She watched as Maeve straightened her skirt and wiped the excess make-up from under her eyes and smiled with a huff, taking a deep breath in. 

"Okay, let's do this." 

"You're braver than me." Aimee said, walking out of Maeve's caravan. Maeve gave a small laugh in response, placing her keys into her pocket. 

'I am', Maeve thought. 'You're braver than I am'. 

Mr. Groff's office looked more daunting than ever, and Maeve didn't know if she felt sick due to the nerves or because of the amount she drank the previous night. She tried to compose herself, preparing her rant about him having no evidence or grounds to remove her from the school. It was ridiculous and she was no longer going to take this lying down. Otis believed in her. She needed to stay at this school. For him. And for herself. She turned the doorknob and sucked in all fear. 

"Mr. Groff-"

"Ah, Maeve, just the girl I wanted to see." 

She almost choked.

"Excuse me?" 

"Yes, your brother confessed. You are welcome back at school." He said, straightening the pens that lay on his table. Maeve could hardly breathe. "I am assuming that is what you came to see me about." 

"Yes." She nodded. "I mean - no."

"Take this as a warning, Maeve, I will not allow innocent boys to be corrupted into dealing in this school." 

She wanted to argue, was going to argue, that Otis wasn't dealing. And neither was she. But she froze instead. And nodded. 

"Okay." She said. "Thank you, Sir." 

And then she walked out. 

***

"Listen, we've got a client." Maeve slapped the book down on the table, startling Otis. He looked up at her, clutching his chest.

"Bloody hell." He said, trying to get a hold on his breathing. He reached for his asthma pump.

"Oh, get a grip." Maeve rolled her eyes.

"You - you scared me!" He stood up. "I was deep in thought, you could have given me cardiac arrest or - or -" He huffed. "Where are they?" 

"Usual place. Five minutes." 

Otis nodded, packing his revision notes into his bag. Maeve gave him a little, curved smirk. 

"Thanks for the trophy." 

"It was yours." He shrugged. "Anything I should know?" 

"She didn't say much. Just that you should see her." 

"Right. Okay." He straightened his shirt and brushed his hair aside with his fingers, giving Maeve a small smile. 

***

Otis stared at the girl in front of him. She was confident and pretty. Her brown ombréd blonde hair was long and fell down to the back of her head, her side fringe falling into her curls in a perfect fashion. Otis had never seen her at the school before. He studied her face, her bright blue eyes were piercing into him with an expectation that he would speak first. 

"Hi, how can I help?" 

"I think I might be asexual." The girl said, her voice serious. Otis sat down, taking in her words and placing his finger to his chin passively. It may have looked like he was taking the mick but he was genuinely thinking. He removed it as he saw her eyebrows furrow. 

"Right." He chewed his finger nail, awkwardly. "Which one is that again, sorry?" 

"I thought you were the sex expert?" 

"Yes. I - I am. But I'm not really very good with sexualities." He spoke with sincerity. "There's - you know - a lot of them. Nowadays. It's hard to research them all. And keep up with school work. Sorry." 

It sounded strange to him. He could tell a person which sexually transmitted disease they had just from one sentence, and he could assist anyone with relationship problems and sex positions easily. But sexual orientation was alien to him. He had never done much research into the matter. Of course, he had done a mass amount of research into homosexuality because of Adam. And he had to help lesbians and gays with their sex lives on a day-to-day basis. But he had never even heard of asexual. How could he help someone if he didn't even know what their sexuality was?

"I don't want to have sex." She said, deadpan and seriously. Her face remained completely neutral. 

"That's normal for someone our age. Not everybody experiences a sexual urge-" 

"No. I mean at all." She cut in. "I do not want to have sex. I'm not interested in it. I don't think?" 

"Right."

"You haven't had a client say that before, have you?" She said, noting the confused expression that had formed itself on his face. "I don't know what to do about it. I mean, when should I tell my partner how I feel? I want him to be happy but I just - I don't want to - well, you know."

Otis bit his lip, nodding. He understood all too well. 

"Do you have a partner currently?" 

"Yes." 

"Okay." 

"So, what do I do?" 

"Well, you have to think about yourself." He said, scratching his head. "I suppose. You can't make your partner happy if you, yourself, are unhappy." 

"That's not very good advice." She pulled a weird expression, making Otis feel anxious. "Is that what a professional would say?"

"No - I don't know, I mean - you can't keep this from your partner. You have to speak to him about it." 

"Yes, I know that. But when?" 

"I suppose that's up to you. Whenever you feel comfortable." Otis said. "Have you ever experienced sexual activity?"

The girl shook her head. 

"I don't want to."

"You might find that you like it if you try it." Otis shrugged again. He had never shrugged so much in his entire life. He was so unsure of what to say. "It may be linked to insecurities or-"

"This is useless." She stood up, growling. "You need to research asexuality before you try to advise me on anything, okay?" 

She raced out of the room. Otis stood up, too. And followed her out of the toilets. 

"I want my money back. Now." 

"Look, Ella, you made a commitment when you came here, it's like a binding contract. I can't give you the money back -"

"Just give her it, Maeve." Otis said. "It's my fault." Maeve's eyes grew wide as she glared at Otis. She threw her hand into her bag and pulled out Ella's money, handing it all back to her reluctantly. 

"Thanks for nothing." She raced away.

"What the hell was that?" 

"I don't know." Otis threw his bag on the floor. "She's asexual, or so she thinks." 

"Asexual, huh?" Maeve smirked. "She never struck me as the sort." 

"You've heard of it then?" 

"Haven't you?" Maeve frowned. "Christ. What did you say?" 

"I just said that she might - I don't know - enjoy sex if she tried it."

"You idiot." Maeve shook her head. 

"Look, I don't know anything about it, okay? I can't know everything." 

"Then bloody research it, you dick wod." She moaned. "I needed that money, Otis. Okay? Do your damn research." 

"No, Maeve." He put his foot down, surprising even himself. "No. That's not fair." Maeve squinted at him. "You can't blame me for your money troubles." 

"That's - not what I meant, Otis." 

"You expect too much of me." 

"I didn't mean it to sound so accusing, I'm sorry." She grabbed his hand, impulses taking over. 

"Forget it." Otis threw her hand away from him, feeling nauseous. He thought of Ola and her laugh. 

"Otis, please." 

"I need some space." He said, throwing his bag over his back. 

***

"And you pushed her hand away?" Eric asked, his mouth quite literally agape. Otis nodded, scorning himself. "Who was this Ella girl? I've never heard of her." 

"I don't know, does it matter?" 

"Not really. But you said she had ombré hair, that's very bold this year." 

"What?" Otis inquired, baffled. "How is it 'bold'?" 

"It went out of fashion, Otis." Eric stated. "Jesus man, keep up, p-lease." 

Otis shook his head with a laugh. Fashion wasn't his strong suit, anybody could see that just by looking at his clothing. His mother still dressed him. She bought all of his clothes for him. He was grateful of that fact. It helped him to blend into the background. His clothes were gladly plain. 

"Anywho, you pushed Maeve away when she touched you." Eric said. "That's a big deal." 

"How is it?" 

"Well, it either shows that you are not Otis or that you actually don't like her anymore." 

"No, I do-" He scorned himself. 

"Oh? And what about Ola?" 

"Stop this, I don't want to talk about it." He begged. "Ola is really nice, and she's very respectful." 

"Yeah, respectively remaining a virgin  with you." Eric said. 

"You're a virgin too, don't say it like in that tone - like it's such a big deal. It's not that bad." 

"Oh yeah, and what if I told you that I'm not a virgin anymore." Eric teased, blushing at the mere thought of admitting what happened between him and Adam. 

"I would tell you that you're a liar." 

"Alright." He pretended to act offended. "I have men just queuing to sleep with me, I'll have you know." He winked. 

Otis smiled at his dorkiness. 

"Come on, let's get to class." 

"Urgh." Eric groaned, standing up and zipping his purple jacket up to his neck. "Fine." 

***

Otis turned the page, taking a deep breath in. Asexuality was going to be a tricky read, he could already sense it. And he couldn't help but think that this could, maybe, almost, explain why he didn't want to have sex. Even just a little. He chewed the inside of his mouth, stopping when he tasted blood. 

'An asexual person feels no desire for sex and has no sexual feelings.'

He furrowed his eyebrows, biting his fingernail. Interesting, he thought.

'Asexuality is the term used to describe people that do not have a sexual attraction to another person.'

He then googled tbe term 'sexual attraction' and found that, though people that identified as asexual may not be sexually attracted to people, they are still attracted to people in other ways:

'Asexual people may not feel sexual attraction, but they may seek romance and companionship from another person or persons.'

He thought of Maeve. And Ola. Damn it. Why was he thinking about Maeve? He hit himself in the head, lightly. Ola was the girl that kissed him. Oh, kissing. Best to research that, also. For Ella.

'Asexual people are not interested in sex. But they may still want intimacy in other means. 'Normal' relationship acts, such as kissing another person, are often performed by asexuals.'

Okay. Interesting. He swallowed. And touching himself? How does that relate to this?

'Asexual people are not completely opposed to masturbation. Some asexuals are open and masturbate. Others find it repulsive. It relates to personal preference.'

Otis felt uncomfortable. He felt like he was reading about himself. For years he had felt so out of place. This was starting to make sense. 

'Asexuality is a sexuality, just like heterosexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality. More than 1% of the population identity themselves as asexual. However, asexuality may stem from past traumas, though it should not be linked with celibacy.'

Otis couldn't breathe. He reached for his inhaler and took a deep intake of it, trying to calm himself down. He thought of his father, and then to his mother. And then about Maeve. He took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. He couldn't be asexual. He was just going through a phase.

He reached for his phone again, typing 'I think I might be asexual' into the search engine and closed his eyes as the WiFi worked. He opened them and found that there were multiple forums about the topic at hand. He read on. On one forum, people were discussing the common misconceptions around their sexuality. He smiled a little. 

It was possible. 

It really was possible that he may be asexual. Or at least on the 'ace spectrum'. He felt a small shiver run down his spine. 

***

"You were right." Otis jumped, shutting his locker in impulse. People just kept creeping up on him. It was daunting. And it was growing tiresome. 

"I was?" He turned to see Ella nodding. Her hair was plaited today, making the blonde blend pleasantly into the brown. And her blue eyes continued to burn into him. He looked down to his feet, feeling incredibly uncomfortable about the whole situation.

"Yeah. So I think I owe you this." She handed him the money. "And I'm sorry for screaming at you. You were totally right." 

"I'm completely lost." He frowned. "What was I right about?" 

"Saying that I would enjoy sex if I had it. I did. So, thank you." She shook his hand. 

Otis' heart dropped. He glared at her with a confused expression. 

"I guess I'm not asexual after all. Maybe it doesn't that sexuality, maybe it doesn't even exist." She grinned, making his chest ache. "Thank you, Otis. See you around." 

"Yeah. Bye." He leant back against the lockers, taking an uncontrolled breath in. She wasn't asexual after all. He was right, kind of. And she had paid him. He scorned himself for taking the money. And bit his lip. All of that reading, every word he had researched about the topic, every sentence resoluted with him. How could she now not believe it was a valid sexuality? 

He turned to Maeve, who was at her own locker, and strolled over to her, handing her the money.

"She's not asexual." He said, plainly and gave her the £20. 

Maeve took the money and watched as Otis raced off down the corridor. He looked lost, almost. 

***

"Eric, I need you to listen to me." 

"Always, Otis." 

"I think I might be asexual." Otis said, the words feeling like lava on his tongue. "And that Ella girl - she isn't so I don't know what to do." 

"Asexual, huh?" Eric's face contorted into an empathetic expression. He smiled. "Wait - you haven't had sex so how do you know?" 

Otis twiddled his thumbs. 

"Well - I don't. But you haven't had sex either, have you-"

"No." Eric jumped in, defensively. He shook off all feelings about Adam. "Of course I haven't, I would tell you if I had." 

"Right, okay." Otis frowned. "I mean, if you haven't had sex either then how do you know that you are homosexual?" 

"Well, that's a little different-"

"But how is it?" 

"Maybe you should speak to your mum about this-"

"No, absolutely not. She wouldn't understand." 

"Otis, it's her job to understand." 

"No, she's so into sex. She wouldn't understand, trust me. I don't even understand! And this is about me." 

"Right, yes, okay. But Jean might be able to help." 

"No, Eric, she'd want to know every detail of my sex life. And she'd ask me about my masturbation habits. That can't happen." 

"Wait - but aren't you sexually attracted to Maeve?" 

"No - I don't know. I don't think so. I liked her, but sex never crossed my mind. Until I was asleep. Christ. I hate this. I hate my brain." 

"Alright, calm down. Please." Eric laughed. "You need to speak to your mum. She'll be able to help you." 

"I can't." 

"Oh, come on, Otis. She won't eat you alive or anything." 

***

Jean sat down opposite her son at the dinner table, watching as he ate his Spaghetti Bolognese. He caught her eye, putting his fork down and staring at his mum with a confused expression, his eyebrows furrowing. 

"What is bothering you, darling?" She cooed, trying to sound soft. She didn't quite manage it like Maeve could. "Eric mentioned that you needed to speak to me." 

"Did he?" Otis mumbled. Typical Eric. 

"He did." She pouted. "What is it, honey? Talk to me about it. There's no use bottling up your feelings." She said. Otis rolled his eyes, spinning his fork around his spaghetti. "Is this about that girl that was in your room?"

"What - no. Lily was just a friend." Otis grew defensive. "Actually - kind of." He put his hand to his face and sighed. "Okay, you have to promise me that you will talk to me as my mum and not as my therapist. I don't need therapy." 

Jean put her hand to her hesrt. 

"I promise you, Otis. I will be your mother." She said, sincerity evident in her tone. "What is troubling you?" 

"Okay." He prepared himself, trying to think about the best starting point. "I've been giving out sex education advice based on your therapy - kind of like sex therapy for people in my school." 

"Otis -"

"No, mum, it's worked. I've actually helped people." 

"Right, continue?" 

"Okay. And I had a girl speak to me yesterday about her sexuality. And now I'm questioning-"

"Do you think you might be homosexual?" 

"Mum!" He screamed. 

"You're right. Sorry. Carry on." Jean put her finger to her lip in a desperate attempt to remain silent. 

"Mum, I think I might be asexual." 

Jean nodded. She waited a few seconds to see if he was going to say anything else but he didn't. 

"Otis, darling, you are sixteen." 

"No, mum. I have done research and I really do think I might be. And Eric said to speak to you before making my mind up, because you would know."

"Otis. What do you think about when you hear the word sex?" 

"I-" 

"Come on." 

"I don't think about doing it, if that's what you mean." 

"Darling-" She started. "You are sixteen. It is perfectly normal not to be interested in sex." 

"I know that. I do. But I don't want to have sex. Ever. I don't think. I've tried it. And I didn't like it." 

"Otis, you haven't ever had an orgasm."

"I have!" He blurted out, throwing his hand over his mouth. 

"Good." She smiled at him like a proud mother. "Tell me about it." 

"I - I masturbated two weeks ago. After Ola kissed me. And when I was doing it, it felt good." He cringed at the fact that he was speaking about this with his mother. How disgusting. But this was normality to him. "But now that I think about it. I don't want anyone else to do it for me. I can do it myself, so what is the point?" 

"Why do you believe you do not want to have sex?" 

"I - I thought it was repression. Because of the trauma of seeing Dad have sex with that woman at such a young age. But I don't think that's it now. You're the professional, so I need to hear it from you. But I think I'm asexual." 

"Do you think you are sexually attracted to Ola?" Jean asked, seriously. "You mentioned that you masturbated following your kiss." 

"No." He said. "I - I don't know." 

"Okay. Do you want Ola to give you a blowjob?" 

"No! That's disgusting." 

"Do you view Ola as pretty?"

He tuned out, thinking about it. 

"Maeve is very beautiful." 

"Maeve?" Jean cocked an eyebrow.

"Um - Ola. I meant Ola." 

"Oh, Otis." She shook her head. "Are you sexually attracted to Maeve?" 

"No!" He screeched. "She's beautiful." He said. "Yeah, she's beautiful but I don't want to have sex with her. No way. I don't want to have sex with anyone."

"So you are aesthetically interested in Maeve, and the personality?"

"I suppose." He shrugged.

"Could you see yourself dating Maeve?" 

"I don't know, possibly?" 

"Could you have sec with her?"

"No, I - I'm not interested." 

"It's difficult. I know it is. It is very difficult to decide whether you are asexual or not because you have been brought up around sex." Jean started. "Only you can decide whether you are asexual or not, Otis. It is your sexuality." 

"I suppose that makes sense." 

"You may be a grey asexual. That would explain why you allowed yourself to become aroused following Ola's kiss. Or that may have just been because you have repressed your erections for so many years." 

She smiled at her son. 

"Listen. Just because you became aroused after the kiss does not mean that you can't be asexual. You can be attracted to women still." 

"I know that." Otis nodded. "It just - it doesn't make any sense." 

"If you don't want to have sex at all then you may very well be asexual." She said. "You can still allow yourself to be aroused. You just get aroused by accident. Nobody can control arousal. And asexual people still have a valid libido. Does that make sense?" 

Otis shook his head. It did but it didn't. 

"When Ola kissed you, did you become instantly aroused?" 

"I can't really remember." 

"Did you think about Ola in a sexual way?" 

"No - it just kind of happened." 

"It sounds like your libido is just that. It's normal for a 16 year old boy to become aroused. It doesn't mean that you are not asexual, however."

"You're not making any sense." 

"Otis, darling, my beautiful son." She stood up and walked around to the other side of the table, putting her arms around his shoulders and pulling him into a comforting hug. "Follow me." 

Otis sighed and stood up, following Jean into her office. 

"Sit down." She pointed at the chair.

"Mum, I said I didn't want therapy." 

"I'm not asking you to. I want you to sit in my chair and I shall sit here. You will explain how you feel to me and we will come to a conclusion based on that." She smiled. "Does that make sense?" 

"Yes." 

"Does it sound good?" 

"It does." He nodded. He sat down, leaning well back into his mother's chair. Jean leant well back, aswell, and closed her eyes, putting her thumbs up to tell Otis to start. 

He took a deep breath in and relaxed.

"Whenever people mentioned sex to me before starting the sex therapy, I would become awkward and uncomfortable. I don't know why - Eric always thought that I was sexually repressed and repulsed by the mere thought of it. Dad having sex with that woman might have been the source of that, or it may just be because I don't like the idea of it." 

Jean smiled. 

"Carry on." 

Otis tapped his foot against the desk.

"People started to come to me and Maeve about all sorts of issues within the bedroom. I had a lesbian couple that couldn't have sex because one of them had a crush on someone else and I had a boy that couldn't stop wanking. I had people tell me that they couldn't believe how hot other people were. And I had never related to that. I always thought that beauty was in the eye of the beholder and all of that nonsense. Until I spoke to Maeve. She interested me. And I didn't think that she was beautiful until I got to know her on a deeper level." 

Jean opened her eyes, startled. 

"And now, when I look at her, I think she's the most incredible person on this planet. She's very beautiful. She's like an angel. She puts on this 'look' that she's really hard and will break you if you so much as look at her the wrong way but she's actually really intelligent. And nice." 

Jean smiled to herself. Otis was actually opening up to her. It felt nice.

"Anyway. Eric mentioned that everybody in our year was losing their  virginity, or at least trying. Except for the two of us. And obviously Eric is gay so he can't just go and lose his virginity. But I just - I wasn't bothered. I thought it was because of Dad. But now I don't think it is. And I really think that I am asexual. Because sex doesn't interest me. At all. Even with Maeve. If Maeve offered herself to me, I would kindly decline. I would rather have an intimate relationship in the form of romance and dates." He said. "Sex is pointless, I don't feel an urge to do it. And if I die without having it then that's fine. I'm happy just being that sex therapist kid." 

Jean grinned. 

"I think we have our answer right there." 

"What?" 

"Otis, you're not a late bloomer. You are asexual." She said, getting up to cradle her boy in her arms. "How do you feel?"

"Better." 

"I need you to remember that there are different forms of asexual. There's a whole-"

"A whole spectrum, yes, I know. I won't compare myself to other people." 

"Yes. And you may think that you are assxual right now but your circumstances may change in the future. There is a wide, wide spectrum that can be explored." 

Otis nodded. 

"You mentioned that you could only see Maeve's beauty after you got to know her on a deeper level. That may be the case with your future girlfriend. You may find that you might want to have sex with that woman when you are older and have established a connection. That would make you demisexual, but it is on the same page." 

"That makes sense. But I don't see that happening." 

"Oh, Otis, I am so proud of you." 

Otis smiled, hugging Jean tight.

"Thank you for your help, mum." 

"Anytime, Otis, anytime at all." She said. "Now, go upstairs and do your homework." 

Otis nodded, complying instantly. He walked up the stairs and smiled to himself. Everything made a little more sense now. His mum may not have got some of the facts right about asexuality, but he now knew exactly where he stood. 

Otis Milburn is an asexual.

***

Adam threw his burgen down next to his feet, his military boots polished to a perfect shine. Mr. Groff grinned, staring at his son with a new found, yet still small, amount of pride. He then told him to sit. 

"I am pleased to see that Military School is working wonders so far." He said. 

"It hasn't changed me." Adam said. "I'm still your disappointment." 

"Now, Adam, look at you." He said, walking round to the other side of the table and brushing his son's shoulders. "You look splendid." 

"No. I look like a tit." He slammed his hand on thr desk. Then rubbed it. "Shit." 

"Jesus Christ." 

"Look, I am not going to be bullied into changing, Father." He spat. The only thing that Military School hsd taught him was how to be tougher, how to stand up against those that tried to make others conform into things that they were not. That was what the military was all about, fighting for fairness and equality and freedom of expression and speech. "It is against my rights. I want to come back to school."

"No." 

"Yes. And if not then I will be moving to the next closest local school." He snarled. "I am old enough to make my own decisions. Sergeant taught us that." 

"Did he now?" 

"He did."

"Very well. But you have one chance. Do not make me regret this, Adam." 

***


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this story gets super cheesy. Oh my God. I'm not even sorry.

***

Adam scrunched his nose at his dad, picking up his burgen and storming out of his office. He stopped at the boy's toilets and entered, releasing a deep sigh and smiled at himself at the mirror.

Success. 

He straightened his hair, brushing his fingers through it and undoing his army jacket, removing his trousers and putting his jeans back on. He zipped up his fly and retied his combat boots, wiping them with the dirt from his other shoes so he didn't look like such a square. 

"Adam?" He turned, frowning when he saw who it was. 

"What do you want, Tromboner?" 

Eric widened his eyes, rolling them. 

"You're back, I presume." 

"Yeah." Adam shrugged. 

"I thought you looked better in the combat trousers." He said, winking. 

"Don't do that." He gritted his teeth, curling his hands into fists. Eric just laughed. 

"You don't frighten me anymore." He took a step closer to the taller man, making Adam step back against the wall. He tried his best to compose himself but found himself unable to. He pushed forward, placing his hands to Eric's face and pulling him into a deeper kiss. It felt good, he couldn't deny that. And Eric's eyes shut, blissfully. 

Then the door opened and Adam pushed Eric away, his impulses taking over his body. 

"Eric?" Otis' eyes followed Eric out of the room, confused. He looked at Adam and tried to make sense of what he had just witnessed. He swallowed, racing after his best friend. 

Eric couldn't breathe. This was everything he wanted and feared all happening at once. He hit his head against the wall and tried his hardest to calm down, loosening the top button of his shirt as of it would make a huge difference to his breathing. 

"What did he do to you in there?" Otis asked, trying to catch his own breath. He looked around, noticing that they had both managed to leave school property and enter the woodlands just round the corner from the school. 

"Nothing." 

"Eric." Otis growled. He sat down on a nearby log and said: "come and sit with me." 

Eric complied, sitting down next to his best friend. He was full of fear. Otis would now be asking questions. And he couldn't deny anything. He would have to be completely honest. And that was scary. He didn't want to tell Otis about Adam. Not yet. 

"I spoke to my mum." 

Eric spun his head, shocked. Was he really going to do this now? Even just after what he had just seen?

"She agrees with me. She thinks I could be asexual." He said, looking to Eric now, who was shaking his head. "What?"

"You can't help but talk about yourself, can you?" 

"What, would you prefer me to ask about Adam?" Otis asked. Eric shook his head again. 

"No." 

"Then what do you propose we talk about?" 

"Not you. For once. Not you!" 

Otis let out a breath, he wanted to walk away. But Eric needed a friend now. He may not see that, but he definitely needed a friend. 

"How's your dad?"

"Fucking hell." Eric stood up and spun around. "Just ask me what you want to ask me. Jesus."

"How long?" Otis asked, looking up at Eric. Eric stiffened slightly, stopping in his tracks. 

"Not long. Before he went to Military School. In detention." 

"I knew detention changed you." Otis smirked. "How?" 

"We were - fighting, I suppose. And it just kind of happened. It wasn't planned." 

"No, of course not." Otis said. "Sex with your school bully never is." He smirked, making Eric loosen the tension in his shoulders. He shook his head, pushing Otis slightly from the log. 

"You are a complete knob, do you know that?" 

"I have been told. On multiple occasions. By you, yourself." 

"Oh, fuck off Otis!" He winked. 

"So, is Adam homosexual then?" 

"Well, I don't know really. Bi, maybe." 

"Makes sense." 

"It's not right though, is it?" Eric said, sitting back down next to Otis. He frowned. "It's not right that he used to bully me." 

"No, of course it isn't." 

"But I really feel like I like him. I mean, he's attractive and stuff." 

"Yeah." Otis said. "I wouldn't think too much into it. A lot of homosexual people suppress their feelings and bully those that are confident to come out. I doubt it was anything personal." 

"No, he picked on Amwar too." 

"If it continues, then that's not right. He's not allowed to hurt you." 

"No, I know. I told him that." 

"Good." 

"Urgh, I hate this! I can't believe I've taken to falling for my bully. It's like a tragic American drama. And I'm the damsel in distress." Eric placed his hand to his forehead and pretended to fan. 

"Oh, shut up. It's normal for people to fall for those that are mean to them." 

"He made me hate school." 

"Yeah, I know. But you can't help who you fall for, I suppose." 

"Stop it. There's no way you agree with this." 

"No, I don't. But I've never seen you so happy. And if Adam has apologised for the way he treated you and has promised not to hurt you again, then I'm really happy for you, Eric." 

"His dad's pretty shitty." Eric shrugged. "Abuse and stuff." 

"He's going to struggle to come out then, right? Do you think you can help him through that?" 

"I don't know, maybe." Eric said. "Could you help me with the therapy side?" 

"Of course." Otis nodded. 

"Oh, and of course you can tell Maeve about this if you want. So long as she swears to take it to the grave." Eric smirked. "We need to get you two back on track now that you've found your own sexuality." 

"Eric, Maeve could never date me now." 

"Why not? Of course she could!"

"I'm asexual? No sex? Maeve couldn't do that." 

"Oh, you don't know." 

"Besides, I'm with Ola now."

Eric snarled. Of course he was. He was totally over Maeve. Standard. He wasn't buying it. Otis may believe that himself but everyone around him knew the truth; Otis Milburn loved Maeve. Nothing could change that. 

And nothing would stop Eric from trying to get them together. 

"Go on. You have science in 20 minutes." 

"What are you going to do?" 

"I'm going to go and find Adam. And finish what we just started." He winked, making Otis shiver. He stood up. 

"Have fun." He smiled, unable to relate to the feeling his best friend was having. 

***

Jackson's feet couldn't carry him quick enough as he raced down the corridor after Maeve. She looked particularly beautiful today and he needed to let her know that she was still on his mind. He grabbed her shoulder, startling her just enough to make her spin around and punch him dead in the nose. 

"Good shot!" Aimee clapped, laughing. Jackson glared at her with a squint.

"Jackson! Oh my God, I'm sorry. I didn't know who you were." Maeve said, fussing over him. His nose was bleeding quite heavily.

"Evidently." He said, pinching his nose and holding his head back. 

"Aimee, I need a tissue. Tissues." She said, kneeling down to his level. "You need to hold your head forward. You could choke on your own blood if you hold it back."

"I thought you had to hold it back." 

"No, the First Aid has changed." Maeve shrugged. Jackson smiled, looking at her dark eyes with a little smirk on his face. "What?" 

"You're beautiful, you know?" 

"Jackson, we're not dating anymore. You don't have to say that." She stated, blankly. 

"No, I know that. But I want to." 

Maeve rolled her eyes, standing up. She wasn't in the mood for this. She hated seeing ex boyfriends as it was, without them making it worse by still being in love with her. It was always the worst scenario to be in. Aimee raced in, handing Maeve the tissues. 

"Could you deal with this?" She asked, not needing to plea. She spoke that with her expression. Aimee nodded. 

"Right, yes, of course I will."

"Maeve - don't be like that." 

"I'm sorry for hitting you." She said, before walking away. She practically ran to the science classroom, taking a seat by the window and saving the one beside her for Otis.

Otis sat down next to Maeve when he arrived, putting his lab coat on and wrapping it tightly around his body. He turned to face her, smiling. 

"You rushed off yesterday after speaking to Ella, was everything alright?" She asked, her tone softer than usual. Otis nodded.

"Yeah, fine. I just needed the - umm - toilet." 

"Right, okay." She furrowed her eyebrows, turning back to her notes. Otis hit himself in the face. What an idiot he was. She didn't need to know he needed the toilet. He didn't even need the damn toilet. Maeve smirked to herself. He was so innocent. It was sweet.

"I have something to tell you - about Eric." He said, growing excited about the idea of telling Maeve the gossip. It was pathetic but it was something that they could talk about and have a genuine conversation about. 

"Oh? And what could that be?" She smirked, placing her face on her hand, intrigued. 

"Eric and-"

"Class, I would like you all to pull out your phones." Mr. Hendricks clapped his hand, breaking Maeve's concentration from what Otis was saying. Otis' blue eyes chanced a look to their teacher. He looked more unruly than usual, Maeve noticed. But he still had a smile on his face and she admired him for putting on a brave face, at least. He didn't have an easy life. 

Then everybody's phones beeped.

"Oh my God." Maeve let out an exasperated cry. Otis turned to face her, confused. Everyone in the classroom erupted into uncontrollable laughter. "Otis, you don't-" 

He snatched the phone from her hands and glared at the screen. 

There, as plain as day, was a picture of Eric and Adam kissing behind the school bins. He looked up at Maeve, his eyes wide. 

"This is terrible." He said, sprinting out of the door. Maeve scrambled to her feet, also and screamed:

"Otis, wait-" She raced after him, catching up to him and walking by his side. 

"Where could he be?" Otis grew frustrated. He was concerned for his friend's safety now. And it was made worse by the fact that everybody had seen that. Everyone. Including the teachers. And possibly even Eric's parents. 

"Calm down, we'll find him." Maeve said, softly. "We'll find him. Together." 

She placed her hand into Otis', relieving him slightly of his tense manner. It felt nice to finally hold his hand. Then she shook away her thoughts. This was not the time for that. Otis needed a friend. And he needed to find his best friend. 

"Maybe he's in the woods?" She offered, leading him out of the school gates. They walked to the area that Otis knew to be Eric's favourite place to go to relax. It was beautiful there. There was a small lake that he would often find himself staring at, getting lost in the beauty of the ripples. 

"I know that you sent it round, Eric." Adam's shouts could be heard from where Maeve was stood. "I know it was you." 

"Why the fuck would I do that to you, Adam?" Eric pushed him away. 

"Don't you dare push me." Adam warned him, getting closer to his face. 

"Stop!" Otis ran to them. 

"Otis-" Eric wrapped his arms around his best friend, relishing in the safety of his company. He took in his scent, feeling his eyes sting. 

"Adam, leave it out, okay?" Maeve's voice was collected, and Otis only wished he could have been as calm as she was. "Eric's suffering from this just as much as you are, okay."

"How? Everybody fucking knows he's gay. It's written on his bastard face!" 

"Hey! You need to calm down!" Eric screeched. 

"No, my Dad's gonna see this. It'll crush him. Fuck." He kicked a tree, making his foot ache. "He'll send me away again. Christ." 

"Of course he won't do that." Maeve said. 

"You don't know him!" 

"Yeah, I do. He's a prick." She crossed her arms. "But he won't do that because we won't let him, dick breath." 

Adam clenched his fists. Otis threw her a warning glance. 

"I didn't mean it like that." She threw her arms up in surrender. 

"Oi, sex kid." 

"His name is Otis." Eric snapped. 

Otis nodded. 

"Find out who did this." He said. "Please." 

He sounded desperate. Otis looked and Maeve and shrugged. If he agreed to this then he would only do so on one basis. 

"If you tell me what you want with Eric."

Adam looked at him with his eyes squinting, scrunching his nose as he wiped it with his hand, taking a sniff in. He looked to Eric and then back to Otis.

"I - erm - like Tromboner. Kind of."

Eric snorted. 

"How romantic." 

"Sod off, Tromboner." 

"Right." Otis bit his lip. "We'll find out who did this. And we'll leave you two to sort whatever this is out." 

"Yeah. You two are going to be watched by the entire school. You have got to work out what you want to be seen as." Maeve backed Otis up, following him back to the school gates. "You would have helped anyway, why did you make him admit that?" 

"Because it was the only way that he would." Otis smiled down at Maeve, who smiled back at him. 

"You're too sweet." Maeve blurted out, without thinking. And Otis laughed.

"I'm really not." He laughed. 

"Oh, come on. You know fine well that you are." She said. "It's your biggest flaw."

"Right. Thanks."

"That's meant to be a compliment, you idiot." 

"I don't think pointing out flaws is a compliment, Maeve." 

"No, but I'm saying that your only flaw is a good one - that just shows how great you are." She wanted to hit her head against the wall. What the hell was she saying that for? She was an idiot. 

"I know what you were saying." Otis gave her a small nudge. 

"Is that what you were going to tell me in class - about Eric?" She changed the subject as quick as she could, tying half of her hair up as they walked. 

"Yeah."

"You complete dog. Did Eric know that?" 

"Of course he did." Otis snapped. "I wouldn't betray his trust like that." 

"No, because you're too kind." Maeve smiled, biting her lip. 

***

Otis closed his locker, aggetated. It had been two hours and they had gotten nowhere with the investigation into who sent out the photo. It was growing tiresome. 

"Look, who in this school hates Adam enough to want to humiliate him like that?" Maeve asked. 

"Everyone. Including Adam." 

"This is useless." Maeve complained, leaning against the locker. Otis agreed, of course he did. But he wasn't going to give in easily. Outing someone was the worst thing anyone could do. It was selfish and cruel. 

"Don't you dare try and excuse your behaviour!" Aimee's screech alerted Maeve to look into her direction. She nudged Otis with her elbow, bruising him slightly. 

"Ouch." 

"Hey, maybe we don't have to investigate. Look." 

"Anwar, it's not fucking 'cool' to out someone. No matter who they are." Aimee pushed his books back at him. Maeve's ears pricked up. She smiled at Otis as he set off closer to the pair. "I'm not taking your shitty books back to the library." 

"Do you still like Adam? Is that why you're so upset?" Anwar teased, his tone mallicious and cold. No change there. 

"No, you dick." Aimee growled. "I just don't think it was nice to do that, okay?" 

"No. It wasn't." Maeve gripped onto Anwar's bag and pulled it away from him. "Is your phone in here?" 

"Give that back to me, now, cock biter."

"Where is your fucking phone?" She pushed him hard against the locker. 

"Maeve-" Aimee tried to pull her away. 

"I'm telling Mr. Groff about this with or without the evidence. And then he can inform the police. And they can look through your phone, would you prefer that?" Maeve's voice was harsh. Otis had never seen her so mad about something before. He wanted to pull her away and tell her to calm down but this was Eric. 

"No, please don't do that." He begged. Maeve stuck her knee harder into his crotch. 

"Man up and tell me then, why did you do it?" 

"Eat shit." He spat in her eye. Maeve let go of his jacket and turned away from him, wiping her eye with her sleeve. 

"Anwar. Why did you feel the need to out Adam to the school?" Otis stepped into her place, acting as the voice of reason. Aimee sniggered to herself. It was like a game of 'good cop, bad cop'. 

"Oh, come on. Adam's a dick. He deserved it." 

"Do you remember how hard it was for yourself to come out to people? Jt must have taken a lot of guts." Otis said, thinking about how he felt about his new found discovery regarding his own sexuality. It wasn't the same, but he could relate on a low sort of level at least. "How would you have felt if that choice and decision had been taken away from you?" 

Anwar sank down a little, his usual ego wounded slightly. 

"Alright. I know it was wrong." 

"Then why did you do it?" 

"Adam has teased me for years just for being gay. Why is it fair that he should find love and I should be left in the dark?"

"That's a ridiculous and fucking petty excuse to be a dick, Anwar." Maeve growled. 

"Yes, thank you, Maeve." Otis threw her  a warning glance, expressing a need for her to be quiet now. Maeve nodded, holding in the rest of her emotions. 

"I'll apologise to Trom - to Eric about it. I didn't mean for him to get hurt too. But Adam deserved it." 

"No. Nobody deserves what you did to Adam." Otis put his foot down. "It's not your decision to make. Do you understand that?" 

Maeve studied Otis' tone and expression. He was calm. She admired his ability to remain professional, even in matters that were affecting his best friend. His mannerisms were steady and he looked completely unfazed by the whole situation. 

"I do." Anwar sighed. 

"You will apologise." Otis stated.

"No." 

"You will." Otis said. "Because that's the right thing to do." 

"Yes, Anwar. Adam may be a cock but he's going through a difficult time." Maeve took a step forward to stand beside Otis, smiling at him as she did so. Otis chewed the inside of his mouth. 

"Adam is discovering himself." Otis said. "And he's experimenting with his feelings and his sexuality. You have been unjust in declaring that to the students of this school." 

"Alright. Fucking hell." Anwar snarled. "Who do you think you are anyway, Milburn?" He prodded a finger into Otis' chest. Otis threw his hands up in surrender and backed off. 

"I don't think I'm anyone-"

"Don't you dare prod Otis." Maeve pulled Anwar away from the taller boy. She growled. "You're a fucking loser, Anwar, that's why nobody wants to love you." 

"Looks like you've got your guard dog trained up well." 

"Do you know why even Adam can get a boyfriend and you can't?" Maeve pushed Anwar back, her voice growing colder. "Because, Anwar, Adam may be a bully but at least he realises it. You're just a horrible person with a lack of decency." 

Otis tried his best to pull Maeve back.

"You need to get in line with humanity and learn a bit of empathy. Every person in this school hates you. How far in life do you think you will get with a reputation as a callous person, Anwar?" 

"Maeve, leave it." Otis begged. 

"One second, Otis." 

"Okay, cock breath, calm down." Anwar said. 

"Ouch. My ego is really bruised. Do you know what? Your misogynistic views of me just go to show how little you know about this world we live in. Slut shaming is not okay, Anwar. Bullying is not okay. You need to get a grip on reality. I hope it slaps you hsrd in the face one day." 

Aimee snarled, pushing Maeve to the side so she could slap Anwar in the face.

"That's for being such a bully." She said, before slapping him again. "And that's for always making me feel stupid."

Otis looked to Maeve, pulling her away. Maeve shook her head. 

"Sorry." She said, feeling guilty for some reason. 

"No need to apologise to me." 

***

"It has come to my attention, this morning, that a rumour has been sent around the school regarding my son. I have no correlation or idea whether or not the photo is genuine or not." Mr. Clegg's downpouring tone was disheartening to Maeve. She frowned, shaking her head at the idea that Adam had to put up with someone so closed minded. "However, I would like to take this opportunity to state that 'coming out' is a very important part of being part of the - the -" He squinted to read the script. "LGBTQ+ community. Right." 

Maeve wanted to scream and punch him hard in the face. He was a knob.

"Therefore, tomorrow afternoon, our school will be hosting a 'coming out' disco. You are invited to attend the disco wearing an outfit that expresses your sexuality. Within reason." He warned. "And if you so wish, you may out yourself upon this very stage. We want to give the control back to you." 

It was a nice idea, Otis supposed. But whether it would work or not was an entirely different matter. He, for one, did not want to go out on stage and declare his sexuality in front of everyone. That sounded like the worst possible thing to him. 

"How interesting." Lily said, turning behind her to look at her classmates. "Will you be 'coming out' as a sex therapist?" 

"I don't think that's what this is about, Lily." Maeve jumped in, before Otis could even process the words. Otis gulped down his water, he had no idea if he was coming out or not. 

"Come on, let's go." Eric said, pulling Otis behind him. Maeve followed closely behind. 

"That was a rather strange turn of events." Maeve said, passively. Otis gave a small snort for no particular reason and then looked down at his feet, awkwardly. 

"Hey, doesn't Ola start school tomorrow?" Eric asked. Maeve's heart sank a little as she looked at Otis.

He chewed the inside of his mouth. Perfect. That's all he needed. 

"Yeah, she does." He said, quite disheartened. Eric looked over to Adam, catching his eye. 

"I'm going to go see if he's okay." 

"Alright." Otis nodded. 

Maeve tugged at Otis' sleeve a little. 

"Hey, if Ola is starting school tomorrow then what does that mean for us?" She asked, worried about the answer. "For the sex clinic, I mean." 

"Oh." Otis put his hand to his hair and ran it through. "I'll still be doing it, no worry." He smiled. Maeve let out a small sigh of relief. She couldn't lose Otis. Not Ola. Not now. 

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then." She said, planting a small kiss to his cheek. Otis could feel himself blush almost instantly. He swallowed hard, trying to brush off all feelings he had for Maeve. 

***

"A coming out disco? That sounds incredibly odd." Jean said, placing Otis' plate down on the table. 

"It is."

"And Adam Groff is homosexual, you say? Well, I never suspected that."

"Yeah. Neither did Eric." 

"How is Eric?" 

"Coping, I think." 

"Did you speak to him about your asexuality?" She wasn't meaning to pry, Otis knew that, but she was. And it was frustrating. 

"No. There were bigger problems."

"Right, no, of course there were." She nodded. "Are you going to 'come out', or do you think it's a little premature for that?" 

Otis let out a heavy sigh and started to eat his shepherd's pie. 

"I don't know." 

"Well, you best get your thinking cap on about what it is that you are going to wear. If you have a sex clinic then a lot of people are going to be asking you a lot of questions tomorrow." She said, taking a sip of her wine. "Mainly about homosexual sex." 

"Yes, maybe." 

"There's no maybe about it. You are going to have a very busy day." 

***

Aimee lay on the floor of Maeve's caravan, staring up at the roof whilst listening to 'The Libertines'.

"You know, I never had you down as the type that would listen to this kind of music." Maeve said, taking a drag from her cigarette. Aimee closed her eyes and let the music rush over her. 

"I don't usually, you know. But Pete Doherty is hot." 

"Is he?" Maeve shrugged. "I always thought he looked like a foot." 

"Maeve Wiley. You take that back." Aimee sat up. "Then again, I don't know why I'm even fussed. You think Otis Milburn is good looking. There's no hope for you now."

"Otis isn't hot. He's sweet." 

"Yeah, but being sweet doesn't mean that he's good in bed." 

Maeve laughed. She didn't ever think of Otis like that. Not really. 

"But - then again," Aimee strained her voice. "Otis knows more about sex than anyone else in our school. So maybe he's a proper dark horse in bed. Oh, I bet he is." 

"I don't think sex is Otis' thing, you know." Maeve shrugged, sitting back against the back of the chair. 

"Sex is everyone's thing, Maeve. The only people that hate sex are brain dead or mental." 

"Aimee, you can't say things like that." 

"Why not?" 

"Because - it's offensive." 

"Oh, come on. There's nobody around." She laughed. "Besides, I didn't mean it to be rude. But it's true. It has to be. Those that hate sex just haven't been with the right person yet. End of." 

Maeve shook her head. 

"Yeah, of course."

"Anyway - Adam is proof that not enjoying sex just shows that there's something wrong with you." 

"Aimee, Adam being gay doesn't mean there's something wrong with him." 

"I didn't mean it like that, Maeve. God. What do you take me for? I meant that he was unable to cum before speaking with Otis. Jesus." 

"Oh. Good. I was going to say." 

"Tomorrow will be a very good day indeed." Aimee said, smirking. 

Maeve agreed. It was going to be very interesting. 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Three will be up within the next two days. Thanks for all of the comments and kudos so far!


	3. Chapter Three

***

Otis turned up to the disco 20 minutes early incase anyone did have any queries about their sexuality or relationship. And he turned up alone. Eric was meeting Adam to run over their speech and Ola was going to meet him here. It struck him as odd that the school would cancel all lessons just to host a disco based around sexual identification but he figured that that could only be a positive thing. It showed just how far society had come in recent years around the LGBTQ+ community and it's issues. 

He felt a little uncomfortable in what he was wearing, too. He had opted for a simple grey and purple checked shirt and black trousers. It wouldn't arouse too much suspicion regarding his sexuality because it was similar to what he would wear on a day to day basis. It just had the subtle addition of the asexual colour scheme from the flag. He wasn't usually one for labelling himself as anything, but it felt quite nice to have found an orientation that hr related to on more levels than one. And the asexual spectrum was incredibly diverse. 

"Otis, you didn't say you would be here early." Jackson said, walking in in his usual red jacket. Otis stared at him with a confused expression, and Jackson must have noticed this. "Oh, everyone knows that I am heterosexual so I didn't see the point in dressing up." 

"Oh, I see." He wanted to roll his eyes but he gave a small nod and smile instead, to be polite. Jackson was obnoxious if he believed that anyone would accept that as a valid answer.

"And I see that you thought the same, am I right?" He held his hand up, expecting Otis to high five him. Otis just shrugged, instead, leaving Jackson to drop his hand awkwardly. 

"I just came as me." Subtle. 

"Listen, you're close enough to Maeve to know what's going on in her mind. And I won't pay you this time. Or drop you in it." Jackson started.

"No. I'm not getting involved in Maeve's love life again. Sorry, Jackson. You'll have to figure it out by yourself." 

"Oh. Okay. Cool." Jackson tilted his head, walking away to grab some punch and speak to Mr. Groff. 

Students started to arrive shortly after that and Otis soon found that his being here early was a complete waste of his time. Nobody seemed concerned about their sexuality. Nobody needed to speak to him about anything in that regard. He figured that, perhaps, it would be tomorrow that his services would be needed. He took a seat at a table and closed his eyes for a short while. He was shattered. 

"There you are." Ola's speaking startled him awake, making him jump up from his seat, awkwardly. 

"Ola! Hi! You look incredible!" He said, his nerves getting the best of him again. Ola smiled, showing off her pearly white and perfect teeth. She wore a plain white dress, with black tights and a black flower on her left wrist. "The heterosexual flag, I presume." 

She showed him her fingernails. They were painted orange, yellow and red. He was puzzled. 

"It's hard to explain." She stated. Otis just nodded, feeling uncomfortable digging because Ola clearly didn't want to discuss it. "I'm going to go and grab some punch." 

Otis nodded, watching as she walked away. Then Maeve entered, wearing the same black dress as she had at the previous disco, only this time she had decorated it with a bright pink sash around her waist. She wore pink eyeshadow around her dark eyes and a bright pink lipstick. She looked amazing. Otis smiled at her, giving her a little wave. 

"Feminism?" 

"What better opportunity will I have to make a stance about being for equal rights for all?" She gave him a small nudge. 

"Ingenious." Otis grinned. She had dyed her hair pink again. Instead of her blonde, the dark brown hair faded into pink. It looked nice. 

"You look great too, Otis." She stated. She had wondered what he would dress like. Maeve was not a fool. She was fully aware that Otis would struggle to come up with an idea. But he had done well, even if she had to pretend that she had no idea what the purple, grey and black were there to represent. 

"I just threw on my normal clothes." He said, with a shrug. 

"Right." Maeve nodded, smirking to herself. "Do you think this was all necessary?" She looked around the room. It seemed a little too out there. 

"Well, if it makes people feel comfortable coming out after seeing others do it, then yeah, I suppose it is." Otis smiled. Maeve looked into his eyes. He was so wise.

"Oh, hello Maeve." Ola's voice surprised Maeve. She turned around to see that the smaller girl had made an effort with her outfit too. She squinted. "Nice outfit." 

"Thanks." Maeve said. "I'll see you later, Otis." 

She made her way over to Aimee, who had dressed in a short dress and belly top. She looked nice. But it was just a standard outfit. No thought had gone into her outfit at all. Jackson grabbed Maeve's hand, spinning her round.

"When will you get the message, Jackson? I'm not interested." She stood on his foot deliberately. Jackson put a hand to his heart ad though he had been shot. Because he had been. Shot down by the one person he liked. Again. 

"Oh, come on, Maeve. We had something special." 

"No. We didn't." 

"One last shag. Come on, please." 

"Jackson, I had a termination." She said, pushing his hand away. Jackson's mouth fell agape, his eyes wide. "Yeah. Whilst you were enjoying yourself not using a condom, I had to deal with the consequences. Alone." 

Except, she wasn't alone. Because she had someone beside her that genuinely cared about her. She just didn't see it like that at the time. 

"You didn't tell me that." Jackson said. 

"The thought never crossed your mind. That's what makes it so bad." She screamed. "I was off with you for weeks. Take no for an answer, Jackson. I am not interested in you." 

Jackson sighed, pouting as he sat down on the bench. Aimee chased after Maeve. 

"You never told me that." 

"It wasn't important. It's done now." 

"Are you okay?" 

"It was just a way to get Jackson off my back for a while. I'm fine, Aimee." Maeve said, pushing away again to find some space she could be alone in. 

"Otis, it's Maeve, she's feeling down." 

Otis heard Aimee's words and he instantly dropped Ola's hand. 

"Where is she?" He asked. Ola's eyebrows raised. 

Otis ran out of the hall and down the corridor to find Maeve in the library, curling her arms around her legs. She looked so tiny in the corner, wrapped in a ball. 

"Hey." She said. "I just needed some space to think." 

"Yeah. Aimee said you were down." Otis sat down beside her. Maeve felt a warm feeling epxress itself in her stomach. She felt safe in Otis' company. She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling and content.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you for coming to check on me, though." 

Maeve took Otis' hand. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Otis broke the silence. 

"I think the 'coming out' parade is starting soon. We should head back."

Maeve nodded, smiling.  

***

"Yeah, so I would just like to thank you all for making the effort to come to this event today. The aim of this event is to welcome all people to feel comfortable in who they are. And to invite people to publicly come out as being proud of who they are." Jackson declared. Maeve shook her head. People could be comfortable in who they are and not feel the need to make a grand gesture of things, but at least the school were making an effort. "It is with great pride that I declare that I, myself, am heterosexual." 

She dropped her mouth. 

"What a dick." She heard Eric say. 

"You don't have to come out as het, you closed minded prick." Ruby screamed. Jackson shrugged. 

"Yes, well, that is partly my fault." Mr. Groff stood forward. "Let's hear it for your Head Boy." 

Nobody clapped. At all. And Maeve smirked to herself. Otis shook his head. Maybe this was a waste of time after all.

"Okay, the stage is all yours." 

"I'm taking back control." Adam stormed the stage, wearing a plain black suit and a rainbow tie that was handed to him by Eric. Eric, in return, wore a rainbow print suit and a black tie and stood beside Adam with his hand pressed against his. Adam folded his arms and stood confidently beside his dad. "Dad." He said, making Mr. Clegg flinch slightly. "I'm gay. And if that's a problem then that's nothing to do with me." 

The room erupted with applause and 'woops' and Otis felt a little more at ease. Adam turned to Eric and planted a kiss on his lips, in front of the entire school. 

"Yeah! Homosexuality!" He screamed, gladly.

"Yeah, I'm gay too. Totally not obvious, I know." Eric shrugged beside him with a grin, following Adam off the stage. Otis was happy for him, Eric deserved his shot at happiness. Even if it was with his bully. And even if it was like a US party. 

Anwar took to the stage next, giving Eric a small glare. 

"Hello peasants. I'm Anwar and I'm a bully." He said. "I took control away from Adam and sent around a picture that I shouldn't have. I know that now. And I'm sorry." 

"Anwar-" Adam clenched his fists and made an attempt to walk forward. Eric pulled him back, soothing him with a kiss. Otis smiled down at his feet. He was so happy for him. 

"So yeah, it's never right to out someone as a laugh. Or as punishment. It's not okay. If someone had told the school I was gay before I was comfortable then that wouldn't have been okay. And I am so sorry, Adam." 

Mr. Groff studied his son's expression. Adam gave him a small nod, making Anwar get down from the stage. Ruby walked up the stairs next. "I don't really know why I feel compelled to explain myself but like - I'm bisexual." She said. "That's that." She walked down from the stage. Maeve raced up there next. She took a deep breath in and tried to calm herself down. 

"Yeah, you all know me as 'cock biter', I know. But guess what? You're all wrong." Otis met her eyes, making Maeve feel a little more at ease. "I'm a feminist. I'm het, yes, but I also identify myself as a feminist." 

"That's not a sexuality!" Ola shouted. Maeve squited at her rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, no shit." She growled. "But feminism is a key word in the LGBTQ+ community and it's issues are relevant. So there, I wanted to make a statement that if you have ever been slut shamed, or shamed for liking specific things in the bedroom, or not liking things at all, then it's all okay." 

Otis swallowed hard. 

"You are okay." She shrugged. "Yeah, that's me. And I'm not a cock biter." 

Otis laughed, walking over to Maeve. 

"You're-"

"Not interested, Jackson." She held her hand up to his face. "How did I do?" She turned to Otis. He grinned.

"Really great." 

She pulled him into a hug, wrapping her arms around his waist. She moved her hand down to his crotch, making Otis jump back.

"What are you-"

"It's your turn to speak out." Maeve said, whispering into his ear. "It'll be good for you." 

Otis swallowed, unable to comprehend what was happening. Maeve stroked her finger down his shirt. She realised that she was being a little too sexual for this situation. But it would help him to speak out. It would be good for him.

"So yeah, I just identify as a bit of a slag." Aimee said, walking down from the stage. Maeve had completely tuned out, too in the moment with Otis. Ola stood and watched, her mind racing. Maeve took Otis' hand and led him to the stage. 

"You can do it." 

"No, I can't." He shook his head. "Don't make me." He pushed her away. 

"I'm not." Maeve said. "That wasn't my intention. I'm sorry-" 

"No, it's - it's fine." Otis nodded, trying to console himself. He hugged himself with his arms and took a step up onto the stage. He closed his eyes, trying his hardest not to panic. Maeve's belief that he could do this was helping a lot, he thought. "Er - hi, everyone." 

The entire school fell silent. Before then they had been completely uninterested in most of the students that had come up on the stage. Otis felt sick to the stomach. He looked around to see all of the people that he had helped over the past year, feeling somewhat accomplished in his mind. He was shaking still, but it comforted him knowing that he had made a difference. 

"I know that I have been helping a lot of you with your problems in the bedroom department." Otis said. "Over the past year. And I'm so glad that it has been working."

Maeve rolled her eyes. He sounded like he was coming out as a damn prostitute. 

"But I really feel that I - I - I need to explain myself. To - to everybody." He said. "My mum is a sex therapist. She taught me all about sex from a very young age, and that's why I have been able to hand out therapy to you all. And that will still be going on. If the school allows it to now that, you know, they know that it's going on." 

Mr. Groff glanced over to Maeve, to see that she was sniggering. And then it all made sense. Maeve and Otis were handing out sex advice for money. Damn idiots. 

"Regardless of my knowledge and my therapy, I'm an asexual." He blurted out. Everyone fell silent. "I am not interested in sex at all." 

Maeve bit her lip, smiling to herself. She was so proud of him. When they first met, he was just a dweeb in the corner. And now, well, here he was speaking out to the entire school. 

"It may sound strange coming from someone that knows so much about sex but I am asexual. Or, I'm at least on the asexual spectrum. I don't know exactly. I'm still figuring it out."

Otis twiddled his thumbs, catching Maeve's eye. She held up a thumbs up and mouthed a light 'carry on'. 

"I hope that my asexuality does noy make you lose trust in my services. I can still give advice based on everything that I have been taught. I want to continue to help you all to have a safe and healthy sex life. And that's not as weird as it sounds." 

Maeve sniggered.

"So, that's me. Otis Milburn. And I'm an asexual." He shrugged, walking down from the stage. The entire room burst into appluase. And Maeve raced over to him and hugged him tightly. 

"I'm so proud of you!"

"Yeah, um, thanks." He mumbled. He looked around for Ola but couldn't see her anywhere.

Eric tapped him on the back. 

"Mate, that was insane! Well done!" 

"Yeah, well done, Otis." Adam shrugged. 

"Thank you, have either of you seen Ola?" 

"No." 

"Right." 

Mr. Clegg's heavy feet parked themselves behind Otis and Maeve. Adam and Eric shuffled away, quickly. 

"A sex clinic. Used to articulate and take money away from students." He breathed, heavily.

"Yes. But it was for the best-"

"I am not interested." 

"We did it for the right reasons." Maeve stated. 

"Very well. I may be allowing this to continue, but let it be known that if you so much as breathe a word to Ofsted about Moordale knowing about your little group, I will make you regret it. Is that understood?" 

"Er - yes, Sir." Otis nodded.

"Very well done for using your knowledge for the best. And for money." 

"Thank you, Sir." Maeve and Otis cowered away. 

"I'll catch up with you, I need to go and find Ola." Otis said. Maeve nodded, sighing. He walked away, carrying himself out of the hall. 

"It does explain quite a lot, doesn't it?" Lily stood in the corner by the door, her neck twisting as she saw the taller boy walk towards her.

"Yeah, I suppose it does." Otis shrugged a laugh. 

"It also means that I'm not the problem. You just hate sex." 

"I don't hate sex. I just don't like it."

"Yeah, well, whatever. I think it's awesome. Well done you." 

"Thanks, Lily." 

Lily smiled, giving him a piece of gum. 

"The new girl went that way. I'm assuming that's who you're looking for." She pointed down the corridor. 

"Thanks." He grinned. "Did you sort your problem in the bedroom?" 

"Yes. My vagina was well and truly penetrated." She stated. "You're not missing  out on a lot."

Otis laughed, walking away.

***

Mr. Clegg looked over to see Adam dancing close to Eric, his son pulling the other boy closer to him. He shook his head. How did this happen? Adam had always been such a sex pest. That was one of the reasons why he was such a disappointment. He watched as his son smiled and laughed. It was a genuine laugh too. One that wasn't forced or anything. It was nice to see. 

"Adam, can I have a word?" He tapped his son's shoulder, lightly. Adam looked at Eric, who gave him a small nudge in the right direction. 

"Yeah. I suppose." 

"I wanted to tell you just how proud I am of you today." He said. "You have shown me that you can be normal." 

"Thanks." Adam shrugged. "But you still despise me. I'm still a disappointment to you. I'm not your golden daughter." 

"No. You are not." Mr. Groff sighed. "But you are my son. And I love you so much." 

Adam felt a shiver collapse down his spine. He had never heard his dad say that to him. Ever. In the entire seventeen years he had been on the planet. Never. Not even when he was a child. He was always a disappointment. 

"I am sorry for sending you away." He stated, passionately. "I have been a terrible father to you. And I promise I will try to be better. Can you forgive me?" 

Adam thought about it for a mere second before wrapping his arms around his dad. It was comforting to hear him say those words. It made him feel like he could be good at things. Like his dad did really believe in him. 

"Whatever you want to do, I support you. And I am sorry for ever making you think I didn't." 

Adam smiled.

"I love you, son." 

"I love you, dad." 

Mr. Groff grinned, allowing Adam to go back to Eric. He watched as Eric comforted Adam, who had let a small tear fall from his eye. It was nice to see and he was glad to know that his son was finally going to be happy.

***

"Otis." Ola said, taking his hand in hers. He noticed the colours of her nails again, sparking confusion. Red, orange and yellow. "I am so glad you were able to do that in front of everyone." She said. "You need to speak to Maeve." 

"Wha - why?" 

"She likes you, Otis. And you like her too." Ola said, in her usual understanding and kind tone. "And don't worry about me. I'm fine." 

"I didn't mean to string you along." 

"You didn't. You were discovering yourself. It's fine. I'm fine. I promise you." She stated. 

Otis felt terrible. He felt like the worst person. 

"It's not a lie that I am attracted to you, Otis." She said. "But these colours, do you have any idea what they mean?" 

Otis shook his head.

"None." 

"I identify as a lithsexual. I don't need you to reciprocate my affection or desire. It's totally cool with me that you like Maeve."

"That's a real sexuality?" 

"No, I made it up." She jested. "Yes, Otis." She rolled her eyes. "If you started to like me back then I think my feelings would vanish. I enjoy the chase. And that's why I like you. Because you're impossible." 

"That's new." 

"I know. I hope you and Maeve will be incredibly happy together. And we can still be friends." She said. "I quite like having an armadillo as a friend." 

"I like goats, too." 

"Stop calling me a fucking goat, Otis." 

"You're right, I'm sorry." He shrugged.

"I'm kidding." She laughed, pulling him into a hug. "I'll see you around, Otis." 

***

Maeve sat down beside Otis, noticing that he needed a friend more than ever. He looked almost broken, like he didn't know what to say or do with himself. He sighed, crossing his legs. The hill was quite steep and she looked out to see the small town that she had grown up in. It looked almost peaceful. 

"I heard you ended it with Ola." 

"Yeah." Otis said, plainly. He wasn't really in the mood to talk about it. That much was clear. "Actually, she ended it with me."

"How are you feeling about that?" 

"I don't know, really. She was great." 

"She seemed it." Maeve smiled. 

"Thank you, Maeve." 

"What for?" 

"For pushing me. I don't think I would have spoken out if it wasn't for you." 

"Otis, it's cool." 

"No, you helped me. Thank you."

"I touched your dick, Otis. That wasn't cool of me." 

"You helped me gain the confidence to talk, though." 

Maeve smirked.

"Why did you tell Ola that I was a virgin?" He turned to look at her. Maeve dodged his stare, feeling a light blush form on her cheeks. She twiddled her thumbs, awkwardly. Damn it, Ola. "I mean - why did you feel the need to tell her I was uncomfortable about sex?" 

"I just - I'm not sure, really."

"I'm not angry." Otis gave her a small smile. "I just want to know why you did that."

Maeve shook her head.

"You see? You're too sweet. To me." She tried her best to laugh. But it came out as a mess. "I don't know why I did that. I suppose it's just who I am. I'm selfish." 

"No." Otis shook his head. "You're not selfish."

"I tried to sabotage your date, Otis." 

"And I told your date how to 'get you' behind your back. I'm not as innocent as you seem to think."

"No, I know that. But it was a dick move, okay? And I'm sorry." 

"Yeah." Otis took to staring at Maeve again. Her pink dye had faded away and her natural brunette tone had started to bring itself forward. He had always thought she would look better brunette. Her eyes dazzled in the sunlight and she looked particularly beautiful today. She grinned at him.

"What?"

He looked away, down at his crossed feet. 

"Er - nothing."

"You know, Otis, you are exceptionally weird." She sniggered. 

"I know. People keep telling me that." 

"No, I don't mean because of your asexuality. That's totally cool. And it doesn't matter." Maeve said, making Otis release a little. "I just mean that you are weird." 

"Thanks. I heard you the first time."

"I know, but I didn't want you to think I was being acephobic or anything." She teased, nudging him with her shoulder. 

"Of course not." He rolled his eyes. 

"Otis, it's cool." She took his hand in her's, stroking his hand in a soothing manner. "I'm sorry it didn't work out with Ola." 

"Yeah, me too." He said. She rested her head on his shoulder and took in his familiar scent. 

"You might get another chance with her one day." She tried to reassure him. "And she'll be lucky to have you. You're sweet, Otis. You're one of a kind. Any girl would be lucky to have you." 

Otis shook her off him and turned to face her, looking dead into her brown eyes. They were deep chocolate. And he could see her looking into his soul. 

She laughed, staring into his bright blue eyes in return. Then she moved closer, pressing her lips carefully onto his, moving her body closer to his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders and pushed him back onto the grass, climbing on top of him and kissing him in a passionate but gentle way. He moved his mouth away.

"Maeve, no, I can't." He said, breathing into her ear. Maeve pulled away. "I couldn't give you what you want." 

"I don't care about sex, Otis." She stated. "I care about you." 

Otis allowed the words to sink down his spine. He smiled as they processed into his brain. Then he shook his head. 

"No, that's not fair on you." 

"Sex isn't everything." She stated. "I like you, Otis. That's enough for me." 

"I - I like you too, Maeve." 

"Then what are we doing?" 

Otis studied her expression. She was grinning down at him in a beautiful manner. She was beautiful. And intelligent. And she liked him. It sounded insane. He smiled up at her, placing his lips against her's again. 

"Good." She closed her eyes, melting into the kiss. Shivers sent down Otis' back. "I love you." She said. She opened her eyes, shocked at herself. "I don't expect you to say it back. Christ." 

Otis stared at her, blankly. 

"I mean - I think I do but I don't want you to say it back. Don't worry." 

"I love you too." He said, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you." 

"Don't thank me, you complete dork." 

She winked. 

"You're making me so horny, Otis." 

"Maeve-"

"I'm kidding. I promise you, it doesn't matter to me. I swear." 

He laughed, basking in the moment. It was perfect. And his being asexual didn't matter to her. That was perfect, too. 

"Will you be my boyfriend, prick?" 

"Romantic." Otis said. "And totally in line with gender norms." 

"Well, you know my feministic views." She grinned. "Oh, and sarcasm doesn't suit you." 

"I would love for you to be my girlfriend." 

Maeve smirked, pulling Otis into a hug. 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with the story! I really enjoyed writing it. I hope it filled the void that will remain in my mind until series two comes out.
> 
> Thank you for all of your kudos and comments.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll update again within the next week. I'm really excited about this short book. I haven't decided if it will be 2 or 3 chapters long yet.
> 
> There's so much to fit in. 
> 
> And this may not be 100% accurate. This is my interpretation of Otis Milburn. I view him as on the ace spectrum but, of course, he is available for independent interpretation. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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